1990s-style witch hunt in Turkey

Investigations were launched on Monday against the Turkish television station Kanal D after a caller in the popular programme Beyaz Show on Friday demanded more attention be paid to civilian casualties in the Kurdish conflict in the south-east of the country. The conservative daily Hürriyet warns of a witch hunt: "Accusing the presenter of an entertainment show of engaging in propaganda for a terrorist organisation although he has nothing whatsoever to do with it is unacceptable. ... In their fight against terror, some forces in the state are harking back to a trend that follows the state logic of the 1990s. No one can claim that this stance led to success in the past: in this respect the 1990s were both unsuccessful and painful. Trying once again to curtail freedom and gag critical voices will be of no avail."